A Twist in Reality
by magicboxofoddities
Summary: During KotW, Valkyrie shunts to a parallel universe. What would happen though, if she wouldn't come back? / "After everything Skulduggery had told her about the war, she'd been actually relieved she wasn't alive back then to experience it. Now though, she didn't know what was worse – living in a world at war, or in a world where the war had been won by Mevolent."
1. Prologue

A/N: So, after having this in my drafts longer than I planned, here's the prologue to the what-would-happen-if-Val-was-stuck-in-the-Mevolent-universe-and-had-to-marry-him-AU. There's a post on Tumblr about it, I'll link to it on my profile. Reason for the delay is, btw, that my computer randomly decides if it wants to work or not, so I couldn't finish the first chapter yet and it might take a while to do so. It'll be a lot lighter than the prologue suggest, promise.

* * *

The rain had soaked her completely by now, cold drops rolling down her face, mixing with sweat, blood, and tears. The dirty water found it's way through her shredded, once protective clothing and stung in her open wounds.

Valkyrie didn't care.

She just sat there in the shadows of the dark alleyway, gazing at the half-burned down wall in front of her without really seeing it. Her mind still reflected the image of friends and foes, slaughtered in excessive haze, and she wasn't able to review anything but the battleground around her.

She wondered how any of this could have happened.

There'd been the shunt. It took her longer than she'd like to admit to realize what the pain in her arm meant, but when she did, it was already too late. As soon as she woke up in a completely different world, it had hit her. The injury on her arm came from Silas Nadir's touch.  
He was a shunter. He had somehow infected her.  
While inspecting the dimension he'd sent her to, she waited for the throbbing in her arm to start again. Waited to feel dizzy, to show any sign of shunting back. She'd been sure she would. She had to. There was no way she'd stay here, in a world dictated by the most powerful sorcerer to ever live. After everything Skulduggery had told her about the war, she'd been actually relieved she wasn't alive back then to experience it. Now though, she didn't know what was worse – living in a world at war, or in a world where the war had been won by Mevolent.

It didn't take long until she was found by The Resistance, a small opposition still working against the dictatorship, surprisingly led by China Sorrows. After telling her story and being more or less deemed to be trusted, Valkyrie had joined them. And even though she worked for them, her main goal still stood first – find another shunter, get back home. Up to now though, she hadn't had much luck with it, and with every new battle, it slipped back more in her mind. She had neither the time nor the energy to think about it.

Until now, that was, because right now, the only thing she desperately wanted was to get back home. To have someone else fix the mess, to have someone to tell her it was going to be okay.  
To have someone to tell her nobody knew.

Darquesse hadn't shown in month. Of course she hadn't been quiet either, in fact even became more present in her mind with every passing day since Valkyrie had arrived here. She'd never managed to get through, though. Valkyrie had been in more situations where she could have died these past few month than in her whole life before, but even with the constant fighting and struggling, she had kept her under control. It had become somewhat easier, actually. She'd put her screams and whispers and seducing offers in the back of her mind, right to the other voices.  
War's voices. People's screams and warrior's cries, the sound of magic in the air, fire burning, steel clashing against steel. It slowly became a concrete stream of noises and she just blended in Darquesse's begging there, too.

And for a while, it had worked. For a while, she'd been able to stand alone. For a while, she was only Valkyrie Cain again, without anybody knowing of the looming threat that Darquesse presented, without anybody worrying about her.

Today though, everything had collapsed. An army of Redhoods had surprised and hopelessly outnumbered them. It was a close call, and if it hadn't been for Darquesse breaking through, they'd all be dead. Not that her appearance had changed anything about that. Most people that could have survived were killed by her right after she finished the Cleavers and it was only a small minority that had managed to escape her rage fast enough.

Once Valkyrie came back to her senses a few hours later, she fled the battlefield and, physically and emotionally exhausted, collapsed in the wrecked ally.

Now, in her crouched position, not able to do anything but listen to the rain, slow footsteps appeared over the calming noises and eventually reached her consciousness.

Upon the familiar sound, her eyes widened. Valkyrie gripped her knees tighter.

He came. He found her. He'd take her home.

He'd be disappointed though, she knew. He'd lower his head in that typical way, hat shadowing his eyes, not able to look at her while she'd tell him. While he'd witness the destruction. She knew he wouldn't have wanted her to give in, just to make the pain go away. Just to stop the endless struggle. Just to finally find some peace.

Peace she was so desperately wishing for. Ever since she had come to this dimension, there was war. The Resistance did a good job against Mevolent's army and while it was amazing they'd been able to hold it up for so long, Valkyrie just wanted it to end. She couldn't fight anymore. She was tired.

But maybe it was just that – her worn mind playing cruel tricks on her. It was possible, after all. She could be hallucinating. Dreaming. Wishing. Her mind was weak after battle, and a headache still throbbing painfully didn't make it better. She could be imagining. It could be an illusion, a new joke, and maybe, if she'd listen closely enough, it would hold Darquesse's voice.

Valkyrie tried to concentrate. Still steps, getting louder.  
Maybe it was him, after all. It was just logical, actually, after all this time. He would always come for her. Until the end, that's what they've promised each other.

The footsteps stopped. Hope and fear boiled in her chest.

_Don't look up. You'll only be disappointed._

She did anyway.

Her blurred gaze fell on Lord Vile's black armour.


	2. A change in location

*creeps in* So. I haven't abandoned this, I swear. Hope you enjoy it, even if it took, like, years to upload.

* * *

The dungeon had been dark and wet and disgusting, and she'd been alone with her thoughts for far too long, but whatever _this_ was now, it was worse.

After what seemed like a week, two Redhoods fetched her roughly from her prison cell and brought her up to the palace. Her first guess had been execution, and she wasn't as afraid as she probably should have been about this – rather resigned, actually. Looking back at her life, it felt almost ironic to die like this, as a prisoner. She'd fought against maniac villains and immortal gods, and she had always believed her life would end in a battle, not in captivity. Her expectations were dashed, however, when they led her away from the throne room, further into the castle, through more and more extravagant looking corridors. In front of a fancy double door they finally stopped, unlocked it, threw her in unceremoniously, and locked it again behind her. Valkyrie immediately swirled around and gripped the doorknobs, but she still wore a pair of magic-binding handcuffs, so any chance of escape was most unlikely. Instead, she turned again and took in her surroundings.

_There's always something to work with_, Skulduggery had told her once, _you only have to find it._

The room wasn't as small and narrow as her cell, which had nearly given her panic attacks, but not too large either. What it lacked on space though, it made up with it's beauty. The first thing she noticed was the large window to her left. It had a wide sill, filled with colourful cushions, and was framed by heavy red curtains. The wall beside it was held in a light violet with a faint golden pattern. Valkyrie took a few steps towards the window and pushed the curtains further aside to take a look outside, and a marvellous garden was revealed. There weren't any guards visible, nor any passers-by, and it laid in the shadows of her side of the building and a high hedge. Behind it was still palace ground, but she could see the outer wall, and she knew a passageway hidden there that would lead her right into the city. Valkyrie tried the window catch, but of course it was locked, too, so she turned back to the room again.

The right wall was completely taken in by a large wardrobe, white with golden frames. On the left next to the door stood a boudoir of the same style, the surface filled with various bottles and cases, a hairbrush, and a some make-up brushes in a round holder. The centre of the room and the most impressive piece of furniture was the bed, though. It was a large four-poster bed, the silky covers in the same colour as the curtains, and her knees went weak just from looking at it. After weeks of sleeping at a hard stone ground with only few hay as poster, this seemed like heaven.

Upon further inspection though, she spotted something laying atop of it. A dress? Dark red, heaped under the chest with a golden lace, flowing skirts going down from there on, and wide sleeves with golden embroidery at the ends, it just looked breathtakingly beautiful. She'd loved to touch it and see if it felt as smooth as it looked, but didn't dare to. Whoever it belonged to most probably was about to arrive, or maybe behind the door in the left corner next to the bed. Valkyrie suspected it to be a bathroom.

She decided to search the boudoir, as it most probably wasn't likely to find a weapon, but maybe something to at least distract any potential threat with. Just as she pulled open the first drawer, the door opened and two women came in. Apparently maids, judging by their clothing, and they immediately approached her after locking the door again. The younger one with a brown bun went to work on her chains, while the elderly blond one gripped her face and inspected it. Valkyrie was too surprised to react. For a moment, she felt her magic rushing through her as the bounds were gone – only to be overridden with emptiness once again shortly afterwards. The young brunette had put a bracelet around her left wrist which apparently replaced the chains, but even though it was much more comfortable, it didn't console her the slightest. The women inspected her another minute, then the blonde motioned towards the bathroom door and while the other rushed away, she finally spoke, still pulling and replacing strands of Valkyrie's hair. "Not bad indeed. Still, we have a lot to do before we can let the Master see you."

_Oh, okay. What?_

A short look at her confused expression, and the woman rolled her eyes and explained: "You are to meet the king. We're here to prepare you. Call me Constance, child. The girl's name is Anna. She'll be your personal maid from now on."

_Oh, okay. __**What?**_

Before she could ask any further questions or even complain about being called _child_, Anna's quiet voice came from the door. "The bath is ready now, Miss." Valkyrie looked at Constance, who shoved her into the other room's direction.

"Wait, me?"

The elder snorted. "Of course you. Do you see anybody else here?"

"Uhh..."

Another eye-roll, then she shut the door close, leaving Valkyrie with Anna. "Um. Hi," she started, trying a smile, but the other girl only looked down.

"Please get out of the dirty clothes, Miss," she said, looking embarrassed. "And get in the tub. We need to scrub off the dried blood and dirt." Valkyrie could only stare. After noticing she wouldn't react, Anna finally looked up. "Please. We are short of time."

"You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?"

If possible, the servant's voice only grew thinner. "I don't know what you mean, Miss. Please get ready now."

Closing her eyes, Valkyrie tried counting to ten to calm herself. She came to five, noticed it didn't work, and gave up. "Fine. Get out."

"Excuse me?"

"Get out. I can bath alone, you know? I'm a big girl, and I promise I'll hurry. Now get out."

Taking a bath surely felt weird, after all this time. To be quite honest, Valkyrie couldn't remember the last time she'd felt truly _clean_. She would cherish the feeling now, the hot water filling her with warmth and the rough sponge scrubbing off the dirt of the past few months. Beside the tub, she'd found something remotely reminding her of soap, and although it was a little more sticky than she was used to, it served it's purpose, just as the thing she'd guess would be shampoo. At some point, Constance came in despite her protests, grousing about how much more time she was going to need, and threw her two towels before slamming the door behind her again. Valkyrie wasn't even completely dry yet when the insufferable woman came back and pulled her out, ordering her with a motion to put on the dress she'd admired earlier. Her glare was quite impressive, and with an annoyed sigh, Constance turned her back on her so she could change.

Once she was done, she was shoved roughly towards the boudoir, and Constance mauled her slowly drying hair with the brush. With the way she yanked at it, Vakyrie already felt a headache coming on, and it didn't get better when the maid stopped and Anna returned, now _apologising_ for every harsh tug when she pinned up her hair. While she waited for them to be finally done, she briefly wondered how she ended up here again. Valkyrie still couldn't quite wrap her head around what was happening, but she wasn't dead yet, at least – although she couldn't be quite sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

* * *

It was a bad thing. It was a really, _really_ bad thing – Valkyrie would've never thought she'd wish for something like this, but in retrospection, she would have very much preferred to be executed a few hours ago, because _this_ – this was just abnormally crazy. It was weird and creepy and uncomfortable, to sit here and be expected to eat completely calmly, while _he_ was watching her with an unsettling, unreadable expression. She didn't even lift a hand from her lap, simply returning his stare across the large table with as little nervousness (_or_ _fear_) as possible in her gaze. It probably didn't have the desired effect.

Understanding her silent protest rather quickly, Mevolent leaned back in his chair with a smile. When he opened the conversation, his tone was casual. "You're special, did you know that? You are meant to be. It's not only your name, but It's in your blood, too. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Might have mentioned it a few times," she muttered darkly, though he probably heard her anyway. If not, her scowl must have given away what kind of response she gave.

He chuckled. "No need to feel insulted. It was a compliment."

He tilted his head, a movement reminding her so much of Skulduggery she wanted to claw his eyes out and rip him apart.  
_Darquesse approved._

"You know," he eventually continued, "your abilities are quite impressive. Not even close to what I can achieve, of course, but there's always room for improvement, right?"

She didn't answer.

"You're aware of your true name. It's rare, it's unlikely, but it's obvious that you do, anyway. There's truly no other explanation for that marvellous outcome of the last battle you fought, is there?"

Again, she stayed silent, and his smile widened.

"I will take this as a yes. You should get used to answering if I ask you questions, though. It could become very uncomfortable for you if you won't." A tilt of his head, and she just barely noticed shadows swirling to her right out of the corner of her eye. Mevolent's expression had turned somewhat expectant, and she begrudgingly forced out a "Yes." No titles, no complete sentence. She didn't feel capable of anything more than this one word. It seemed to be enough for him, though, judging by his satisfied smirk.

"It's good that we understand each other. See, you are here because I decided to _help_ you."

She raised an eyebrow, which only seemed to amuse him further. "You are a powerful Sorceress. Or_ Darquesse_ is. It's magnificent what she, what _you_, can do – it's just that you can't always access this kind of power, can you? You're not – how should I call it? - _whole_. Not yet."

She could feel Darquesse emerging in her mind, curious, and it took her every ounce of self-control she could bring up to stay focused. A terrible suspicion was striking her, and the question escaped her mouth before she could hold it back. "What's your point?"

He ignored it. "As far as the Sensitives could tell me, your dimension is completely different from mine. Though I'm sure Darquesse would prefer this one."

Somewhere within in, she felt the urge to smile, to nod, to agree; but she stomped it down, knowing it wasn't her own. She began to feel sick.

"I'm sure Darquesse would like a world where she could do anything she likes to do. I'm sure you could grow to like this world, too," he continued. "We'll just have to get you there."

"I fail to see what you're going to get from this."

"You've spent a lot of time in the wrong company since you arrived here, my dear. Maybe I'm not as terrible as you make me out to be. Maybe I really just want to help you." There was a meaning behind his words, but her head was throbbing and it took her embarrassingly long to decipher it.

"The Resistance."

"Clever girl."

Valkyrie suppressed a sigh. She was tired, and while she'd never admit it, she was also scared. There was no one to help her out of this one, there was no one left to come for her. She was completely alone, and she'd have to deal with this all on her own. "I won't help you. And she won't, either." _Although in all honesty, she wasn't too sure of this anymore_. "You're keeping me prisoner. If you free her, she'll rip you to shreds, and this whole dimension with you. Because she can."

"It won't be quite like this, I think." He sounded terribly self-assured, and something inside her went hollow. "How about you don't view yourself as a prisoner, Valkyrie. View yourself as a patient who will be cured and as soon as you are, you will be my _guest_."

Mevolent waved his hand and her chair pushed back by itself. She stood up without having eaten anything, and Lord Vile silently escorted her back to her new prison. When the door shut behind her, Valkyrie slumped down at it, feeling more desperate to go home than she had ever before.


End file.
